The Greek King of Rock 'n' Roll: Johnny Otis

Since I'm about to fly off to the UK, my mind is turning to the Greek Diaspora, and to some of the individuals who deserve to be recognised more widely in Greece and perhaps to be portrayed on postage stamps.

Johnny Otis is one of the legends of rhythm and blues and early rock 'n' roll.

He was born John Veliotes (28 December, 1921), in northern California, to Greek immigrants.

I spoke to him on the phone on 26 May, 1998, as I was planning to devote a radio programme to his wonderful music.

Johnny first began recording in the mid 1940s, and he's worked with jazz greats like Count Basie, Charlie Parker, Ben Webster, Lionel Hampton and Lester Young, as well as with R 'n' B giants like Big Mama Thornton, Little Esther Phillips, Margie Evans, SugarPie Desanto, T-Bone Walker, Mel Walker, Big Joe Turner, Illinois Jacquet, Big Jay McNeely and Wyonie Harris.

One of his most famous records, which he wrote, is "Willie and the Hand Jive". He played drums on Big Mama Thornton's recording of "Hound Dog". He co-wrote "Roll with Me Henry" with Etta James, whom he discovered. The Johnny Otis Show had fifteen Top 40 Rhythm 'n' Blues hits between 1950 and 1952.

In John's book, "Upside Your Head! Rhythm and Blues on Central Avenue", published in 1993 (University Press of New England), George Lipsitz writes in the introduction:

"Born in 1921, Otis grew up in a Greek immigrant family that ran a grocery store in an ethnically mixed but mostly black neighbourhood in Berkeley, California."

Johnny Veliotes was captured by black culture. When I spoke to him in 1998, he was keen to talk about the parallels between the themes of Greek rebetika songs and African-American blues songs. Although he'd forgotten most of the Greek he'd learned as a child, and had never been to Greece, he said that he could still cook "a mean avgolemono"- Greek soul food.

It's high time that the Ionian University Music Department (the Jazz Department) honoured him and invited over to the Summer Festival. And a postage stamp would be in order!

So one more time for "Willie and the Hand Jive", "Ma, He's Making Eyes at Me" and all his other great rock hits and blues numbers. Take a look at his website:

www.johnnyotisworld.com